In this scene from the 1939 film "Paradise in Harlem", pianist Sidney Easton and vocalist Babe Matthews deliver a spectacular performance with their song "How D'you Figure I'll Miss You."

Appearing in five black Hollywood films between 1935 and 1948, Sidney Easton was a popular piano accompanist and songwriter known for his extensive work with female vocalists including Ethel Waters.

The art of the vaudeville duet between female singer and her male pianist is immortalized for the ages with this silver screen appearance of "Sidney Easton & Babe Matthews" cast in the film as Sneeze Ancrum and Laura Lou.

This popular combination of talkative accompanist and jazz diva was commonly utilized on record to great acclaim beginning in the 1920's. Blues based novelty songs like this one were no doubt responsible (at least in part) for inspiring the popular double entendre vocal style that came to be known as "Hokum".